Why did Context decide to focus on this project?
The team wanted to work on community engagement. They wanted to experiment with several initiatives: encouraging audiences to redirect 3.5% of their income tax, attracting new donors and subscribers, trying a small crowdfunding push and learning more about the audience through surveys and live interviews. For Context, this was a chance to understand what motivates people to support their journalism, to develop a more stable base of recurring donors, and to finally build internal knowledge around audience research, which they hadn’t done before this project.
How did applying design-thinking principles help?
Design thinking became embedded in the newsroom’s workflow. The most valuable component was rapid testing: A/B testing visuals and copy before running ads; testing email subject lines on the first 50 recipients before sending newsletters to the full list; testing multiple variants of posts, formats and reminders; iterating in small steps instead of committing to long, inflexible plans.
This approach allowed Context to identify what usually resonates, reduce wasted ad spend and shift from instinct-based decisions to data-informed ones. Design thinking also helped the team adjust to audience behavior. They started posting in a more strategic way, instead of overly frequent and they reframed subscriber-exclusive content to align more clearly with the newsroom’s journalistic mission, not only prompted in isolation, in order to create excitement. Design thinking helped Context stay flexible, act on data, and adjust in real-time, rather than committing to a static campaign path.
Did your approach change engagement with your audience in any way?
Yes, the project deepened Context’s interaction with its readers and donors. The audience survey drew 68 responses and led to 12 follow-up interviews, offering rich insights into how people perceive the outlet and why they trust it. Several participants appreciated being contacted directly and said they valued the newsroom’s factual, measured tone. The team also experimented with donor-only benefits, including a due-diligence workshop that was well received. Throughout the campaign period, and especially during the election season, the newsroom noticed increased activity across platforms, additional engagement with their investigations and a steady rise in both subscribers and paid supporters, although they cannot be completely sure of which exact factor contributed to this.
What challenges did you encounter and how did you address them?
The most significant obstacle for Context was timing. The tax redirection campaign was launched late in the fiscal cycle, when many people had already made their choices, which limited its impact. Technical issues also interfered with conversions, particularly when the donation banner malfunctioned on mobile devices. On social media, Meta’s political-content restrictions reduced the effectiveness of targeted advertising, forcing the team to adjust their messaging in ways that diluted reach. Audience fatigue started showing up when reminders for a newsletter event became too frequent, therefor interest declined despite the quality of the content. Live online events also drew very small audiences, in part because they competed directly with election programming and widespread political coverage. When thinking about the challenges, Context believes that they had attempted too many small initiatives at once. In hindsight, concentrating on one or two larger, more focused campaigns would have produced clearer insights and more sustained engagement.
How was your project received by your audience?
Overall, the project was met with openness and enthusiasm. Many readers expressed appreciation for being asked for their input and said they valued Context.ro’s focus on facts rather than opinion. The interviews revealed a diversity of preferences — some people wanted more live events, others preferred none; some wanted videos, others preferred long-form reading — but no strong pattern emerged. What did stand out was that readers consistently described Context.ro as a trusted source, a quality that shapes why they return and why they choose to support the newsroom financially. Donors responded positively to exclusive workshops, and a viral Instagram carousel on extremist groups, which reached more than half a million users, reaffirmed how journalism-driven visuals can significantly expand visibility.
What insights or lessons did you gain from this project?
The team learned that depth matters more than volume. Running many smaller initiatives generated useful data, but also diluted energy and impact; future projects will focus on fewer, more thoroughly executed campaigns. The experience reinforced the value of continuous testing across newsletters, social media, and events, and showed that timing and pacing are crucial elements of audience engagement. It also demonstrated that exclusive offerings are most effective when directly connected to the newsroom’s mission, and that audience research is indispensable for understanding both what people want and how they consume journalism. One of the most important outcomes was organisational: the project led to the hiring of a new full-time community engagement specialist, strengthening the newsroom long term.
What do you plan on doing next?
Context is planning to build on this momentum with a more consistent and sustainable engagement strategy. The newsletter will remain central to community-building, supported by thoughtful reminders and periodic campaigns. The team will continue reusing the most successful visuals and copy, and major campaigns will be prepared well in advance to avoid the timing issues they encountered. The newsroom is also expanding its donor-focused offerings and launching new fundraising efforts to support its investigative journalism training program.
What advice would you give to other journalists or organisations considering a similar path?
Context suggests that it is crucial to test early, test often and remain adaptable. Engagement campaigns should begin at the right moment in the yearly cycle, and organisations should avoid overwhelming their communities with repetitive reminders. Building trust requires clarity, transparency and a direct connection to the newsroom’s editorial mission. Rather than attempting many parallel initiatives, focusing on one or two well-developed campaigns can create stronger results. Above all, listening to audiences through surveys or interviews provides important insights that can’t be replaced by internal brainstorming. When it comes to growing sustainably they should deepen trust and improve targeting by high-quality journalism, transparency and smart pacing.
Credit: Transitions, Journalismfund Europe's partner for implementing the Microgrants for Small Newsrooms programme, produced this case study.
